Federal Court Upholds State Limits on Minors at Adult Drag Shows

Taylor, TX – A federal appeals court has just upheld a Florida law restricting minors from attending certain adult live performances, including some drag shows. Within hours of that ruling, renewed attention was focused on Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico after reports resurfaced showing he headlined a 2021 Pride fundraiser featuring an 11-year-old child drag performer promoted as one of the event’s main attractions.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled in HM Florida-ORL, LLC v. Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, allowing Florida to enforce its law restricting minors from attending certain adult live performances. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the decision, calling it a victory for protecting children. The ruling does not prohibit drag performances for adults, but it recognizes that states may impose limits when minors are involved.

The timing has drawn renewed scrutiny to Talarico’s record as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

According to promotional materials first highlighted by the Washington Free Beacon, Talarico was a featured speaker during Taylor PRIDE’s June 26, 2021 fundraiser in Taylor, Texas. The event was organized to raise money for “rural LGBTQ communities” and included live music, Drag Story Hour, adult drag performers, and an 11-year-old performer using the stage name “Kween Kee Kee.”

Taylor PRIDE advertised the child as “the absolute cutest & youngest of our drag performers.” Promotional posts stated the child would perform a drag routine and host “Kee Kee Storytime,” where children would participate in Pride-themed craft activities. The event was held at Texas Beer Company.

Photographs published from the event show Talarico addressing attendees from the stage and posing with participants. Additional photographs and video posted publicly show Kween Kee Kee, a local preteen named Keegan, performing in a shimmering blue dress, platinum blonde wig, and theatrical makeup during what organizers described as a Youth Drag Show. One attendee shared video of the child performing the splits before the audience.

The fundraiser also featured several adult drag performers, including Brianna Brinxx, Belladonna Dior, Felecia Enspire, and a performer using the stage name Sedonya Face.

Following criticism from conservative activists who protested the event, Taylor PRIDE defended the festival on social media. The organization rejected claims that the event was sexually explicit or exploitative and encouraged the public to review photographs from the event and decide for themselves.

Talarico’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment from the Washington Free Beacon regarding his participation.

The resurfaced event adds to a broader record that Republicans have highlighted throughout Talarico’s political career. While serving in the Texas House, Talarico opposed legislation restricting drag performances in the presence of children and argued lawmakers should avoid harming what he described as Texas’ drag performers. He has also opposed Republican-backed legislation restricting certain transgender medical treatments for minors and has frequently spoken in support of LGBTQ causes.

More recently, however, Talarico has attempted to present himself as a more moderate statewide candidate. He has described previous remarks, including referring to God as “nonbinary,” as “cringey” and has removed some progressive messaging from campaign materials as he seeks to broaden his appeal beyond Democratic primary voters.

The renewed attention comes as cultural debates surrounding children and drag performances continue playing out both politically and legally. Florida’s appellate court victory represents one of the most significant recent rulings supporting a state’s authority to restrict minors from attending certain adult-oriented live performances, even as litigation over similar laws continues elsewhere.

Private conversations between former Mayor David Billings and City Manager Michael Kovacs raise new questions about influence, transparency, and who really had access to City Hall.

Fate, TX – Text messages obtained between former Fate Mayor David Billings and City Manager Michael Kovacs reveal a relationship that continued well after Billings left elected office—one in which the former mayor was regularly discussing active city business, asking for information unavailable to the public, and at times appearing to direct or advise the city’s chief executive officer.

The conversations, which span numerous topics, occurred between May 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025, paint the picture of a former elected official who maintained extraordinary access to City Hall without submitting Open Records Requests required of ordinary citizens.

While former elected officials frequently maintain friendships with city staff, these exchanges raise broader questions about whether Billings continued to wield informal influence over municipal operations after voters had elected a new city council.

Direct Access Outside the Open Records Process

Throughout the messages, Billings repeatedly asks Kovacs questions regarding ongoing city matters and receives prompt responses.

Rather than directing Billings to publicly available records or suggesting he submit an Open Records Request, Kovacs routinely answers questions directly, provides updates, and discusses city operations.

For residents seeking similar information, the City of Fate has frequently required formal Public Information Act requests, and in many instances has asserted legal exceptions to disclosure of city business.

The contrast between the public process and the private communications is likely to invite scrutiny.

Discussions of Active Public Safety Matters

Among the more striking conversations are discussions involving registered sex offenders.

Billings questions Kovacs about individuals living within the city and asks whether Fate has anyone violating local sexual offender restrictions.

According to the texts, Billings asks:

“Are you sure we have no one in violation of the Fate sexual offenders laws.”

Rather than declining to discuss an active law enforcement matter, Kovacs responds with detailed information about multiple individuals, explaining that one suspect had fled, another was moving away, and describing the status of investigations.

Kovacs also tells Billings that police were reviewing maps to determine whether additional offenders might be hiding within prohibited areas.

The conversation continues with Billings asking follow-up questions about which offender local residents were monitoring and commenting that he would remain silent regarding information not yet known publicly.

Later in the exchange, Billings promotes the value of automated license plate readers, noting from his own experience that they quickly tracked down criminals.

Whether any of this information was confidential under Texas law would ultimately depend on the status of the investigations and applicable law enforcement exceptions. Regardless, the exchange demonstrates that Billings was being briefed on ongoing public safety matters despite no longer serving in elected office.

A Former Mayor Giving Direction

The conversations also show Billings offering more than casual opinions.

On multiple occasions he appears to instruct or advise Kovacs regarding city operations.

Among the examples:

• Billings tells Kovacs, “You should get Codi educated and onboard.”
• Billings advises that the police chief “needs to take threats more seriously,” adding that he would explain later.
• Billings offers recommendations regarding technology and law enforcement practices.
• He regularly asks follow-up questions that resemble those of an active policymaker rather than a private citizen.

While city managers routinely receive advice from many individuals, these exchanges suggest Billings occupied a uniquely influential position long after his term ended.

The Discovery Warning

Perhaps the most revealing exchange comes when the discussion turns to Department of Public Safety matters.

Kovacs informs Billings that the text messages involving DPS (ie: Chief Lyle Lombard) will be captured during the discovery process.

Following that warning, the conversations regarding those subjects effectively stop.

For observers familiar with litigation, the significance is difficult to ignore.

Discovery is the legal process through which communications and documents become subject to production in lawsuits.

Whether Kovacs was simply acknowledging that the communications would eventually become public or signaling that sensitive discussions should no longer occur by text is open to interpretation.

What is evident is that once the prospect of discovery is raised, the subject matter changes.

For journalists, that transition may prove one of the more noteworthy portions of the exchange.

Access Not Available to Ordinary Citizens

Perhaps the broader issue raised by the messages is one of unequal access.

Residents seeking information from City Hall generally must:

• Submit formal Open Records Requests.
• Wait statutory response periods.
• Potentially pay production fees.
• Sometimes litigate withheld records.

Billings, by contrast, appears simply to send a text message directly to the City Manager.

The exchanges suggest that information concerning city operations, policing issues, development, and other municipal matters flowed privately between the city manager and a former elected official without the formal transparency mechanisms available to the public.

Whether that arrangement was appropriate is ultimately a matter for residents to decide.

Questions Raised

The messages raise several questions deserving public answers:

• Why was a former mayor receiving updates on active city business instead of obtaining information through public channels?
• What role, if any, did Billings continue to play in influencing municipal decisions after leaving office?
• Were other former elected officials afforded similar access?
• Were any discussions conducted outside the public record to avoid future disclosure?
• Should communications between city leadership and former elected officials concerning municipal business be subject to greater transparency?

None of the texts, standing alone, establish wrongdoing.

However, they do provide an unusual window into the continuing relationship between the City’s top administrator and a former mayor whose official authority had already ended.

For a community that has increasingly questioned transparency at City Hall, the messages are likely to fuel renewed debate over who truly had access to the decision-makers—and whether some voices carried more weight than others.

Read the entire conversation of text messages we have obtained here:

(Edited: Higher Resolution File Uploaded: )

Edited: Additional pages that were corrupted from above:

*Edited: Meanwhile, if you are a citizen, you get this:

Fate, TX – A bitter political battle that has divided residents and fueled an effort to remove the Mayor of Fate and three sitting council members has taken an unexpected turn after court records revealed that one of the recall movement’s principal organizers, Christopher Allen Rains, previously pleaded guilty in a felony fraud case, a fact that appears to have been largely unknown to many local voters.

Court records reviewed by Pipkins Reports show that Rains entered a guilty plea in 2016 to a charge of Fraudulent Use or Possession of Identifying Information, a state jail felony under Texas law. Arrest records reviewed by Pipkins Reports show Rains was also arrested on charges of Tampering with a Government Record. However, the tampering allegation does not appear among the final court dispositions reviewed by Pipkins Reports.

[Images of Arrest, Mugshots, and Court Records of Christopher Allen Rains]

The revelation has drawn attention because the recall campaign has frequently centered on issues of ethics, accountability, transparency, and public trust in government. Critics of the current council have argued that elected officials should be held to a high standard of conduct, while supporters of the council have questioned the motives of those seeking their removal.

According to records from the 416th District Court in Collin County, Rains was indicted in 2014 and later pleaded guilty on Sept. 29, 2016, to Fraudulent Use or Possession of Identifying Information involving fewer than five items. The court placed him on deferred adjudication probation for five years and ordered 100 hours of community service.

Court documents state that the judge found sufficient evidence to support the charge but withheld a formal conviction under the terms of deferred adjudication. Records further show that Rains successfully completed probation requirements and was granted an early release from supervision in 2019.

The issue carries public interest not only because Rains helped organize the recall effort, but because his wife, Ashley Rains, currently serves on the Fate City Council and was politically involved in the recall movement while seeking elected office. Christopher Rains stated to Pipkins Reports that he did not form a relationship with his wife until after he had turned his life around, in 2020.

When contacted by Pipkins Reports, Rains did not dispute the court records or his guilty plea. Instead, he cooperated fully with our questions and described the events as occurring during a difficult period of substance abuse and personal struggles.

“In 2013-2014, I was making IDs, checks, and credit cards. I was sentenced to 10 years of probation and 8 months of state jail. I was discharged 5 years early off probation“, Rains told Pipkins Reports.

Rains goes on to illustrate how he wasn’t in a good place in his life following that discharge and that his conduct during that period was connected to addiction, and does not reflect who he is today.

“It’s nuanced, I was medically discharged from the military.” Referring to events just prior to his arrest.

“My actions in active addiction aren’t who I am,” Rains told Pipkins Reports. “I own and run multiple businesses, write uncle Sam checks for six figures every single year. My two years of being an absolute dirt bag doesn’t define me in any way.“

Rains further stated that he expected the issue would eventually become public and said he was not attempting to hide his past.

“I absolutely knew it would come up,” he said. “I’m not afraid of anything anybody can say about me.“

Rather than deny responsibility, Rains characterized the criminal case as part of a chapter of his life that he has worked to overcome.

“I can not change the past,” Rains said. “I can not control who does what to me. I can only control how I respond. I am in no way the same person I was in 2014.“

His comments are likely to resonate with residents who believe people deserve an opportunity to rebuild their lives after making serious mistakes.

At the same time, the newly disclosed records raise legitimate questions about transparency and public scrutiny. Rains did not publicly disclose his criminal history while gathering signatures for the recall effort. A recall movement that focused attention on the character, ethics, and judgment of elected officials. Voters may reasonably conclude that similar scrutiny should apply to the individuals leading those efforts.

Whether residents view the criminal case as disqualifying, irrelevant, or evidence of personal redemption will ultimately be a matter of individual judgment.

What is not in dispute is that court records show Rains pleaded guilty to a felony fraud charge, received deferred adjudication probation, completed the court’s requirements, and later obtained an early release from supervision. Those facts, now become part of the public record surrounding one of the most visible organizers in Fate’s ongoing political conflict.

Sources: Collin County District Court Case No. 416-82092-2014; Register of Actions; publicly available arrest records; Pipkins Reports interview with Christopher Rains;